Npower fined £60,000 by Ofcom for ringing 2,000 homes and then abandoning calls

Energy firm npower has been fined £60,000 for breaking rules over 'abandoned' calls - where overloaded call centres ring individuals but leave them listening to an automated message.

An investigation by telecoms regulator Ofcom into the gas and electricity supplier found that it made 1,756 abandoned calls.

Companies are allowed to use automated services to make marketing calls as a way to manage work loads in call centres. A computer will automatically dial numbers and then connect call centre staff when the recipient picks up.

Not fine: nPower have been slapped with a £60,000 fine for breaking rules over the amount of automated calls it made to customers in 2011.

However, if staff are not on hand the call is ‘abandoned’ and the recipient is left listening to an automated message.

Firms are also not allowed more than three per cent of calls to be abandoned in 24 hour period, or to use marketing material in the automated messages.

The regulator found that npower has breached the rules on eight separate occasions between February and March 2011. Npower said that the calls were all made to people that were not existing customers.

Ofcom told off npower for using marketing material in its calls. The energy firm said that it has now changed the message.

The £60,000 fine will be passed onto the HM Treasury. The amount is at the lower end of the penalty that could have been imposed - Ofcom has the power to fine up to £2million for persistent misuse.

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Consumer group director of Ofcom, Claudio Pollack, said: ‘Our rules are there to protect consumers from suffering annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety from abandoned calls.

'Organisations using call centres must comply with the rules or face the consequences. Where we find there to be breaches, even at the lower end of the scale, we can exercise our powers and take action.’

Npower said that it will now contact those affected and offer them a voucher worth £10.

A spokesman from npower said: ‘We're sorry that on eight occasions in 2011, we made a number of abandoned calls in breach of our obligations. It is our responsibility to ensure that we operate in accordance with Ofcom's rules.’

'We have good controls in place and believe that these instances were isolated exceptions. However, we have addressed the issues raised by Ofcom, which it acknowledges.’